Executive Committee Member, Chicago, USA

Born and raised in the United States, Shon has also lived in Europe and Africa. She has been a devoted volunteer for various organizations since adolescence and her interests include: peace builder, intercultural dialogue, human security and good governance. Volunteer work began for Shon with Initiatives of Change in Washington DC in 2004 where she was immediately struck by the inclusiveness and ‘global thinking’ by everyone she met. Shon was drawn to the focus on the human factor in global change as a unique aspect of Caux and believes it is impossible to tackle the topic of human security without focusing on the human factor. Shon’s contribution to the Caux Conferences began in 2011 with the Human Security Forum. She has since grown with the Just Governance for Human Security forum beginning with its first year in 2013. Shon has held various roles within the forum and currently serves as its global Coordinator.

Executive Committee Member, Switzerland/Canada

Ashley Müller is currently a Young Leaders in Foreign and Security Policy fellow, at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, part of the Global Fellowship Initiative. Previously, Ms Müller worked as a consultant for Initiatives of Change UK in project management and programme development in three focus areas: ethical leadership, sustainble communities and trustbuilding, while also working as the UK National Coordinator and facilitator for Creators of Peace, an international programme that equips women as peacemakers in their own communities. With a university background in Political Science and International Development, Ashley contains extensive international experience and cross-cultural exposure. She is originally from Canada, raised in Taiwan, holds a Swiss passport and speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Executive Committee Member,USA/Lebanon

Born in Lebanon, Yara has traveled and lived in Glasgow, Washington DC, Paris, and now Saint Louis. As a Fulbright scholar, she obtained a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University. She then wrote her doctoral dissertation on natural resource extraction and just governance in developing countries, at the Hautes Ecoles Politiques de Paris. She is also a published author, blogger of Aristotle at Afternoon Tea, and avid traveler. Yara first came to Caux as an intern in 2011, and has been involved with IofC ever since. It is the people, and the ideas they espouse, that draw her back each year. Caux is a place where ideas become projects and dreams become achievable goals. At the Just Governance Conference in particular, the conversation transcends racial, religious, and political differences. It is about finding real solutions to global issues that affect us all, and it is an honor to be a part of that.

Cairo, Egypt

Salma Moustafa Khalil is from Egypt and is currently a MA Student of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. Her research, in this Master’s and before, has been centered around Agency and people’s perception and interaction with systems and institutions governing them, or more generally, the State. She has been part of Initiatives of Change since 2010, as part of the Conference Operations department, and has worked closely with the Just Governance for Human Security team over the years. Her interests and the event topics are increasingly aligned and is excited to learn from the forum while contributing to it.

Pakistan/USA

Anjum A. Ali is a former professor of Islamic Studies and has been speaking on Islam and Muslims for nearly 2 decades. Born in the USA, and of Pakistani heritage, she has lived overseas in the Middle East and in the United States and continues to conduct workshops and facilitation training domestically and internationally. She has a Bachelors degree in International Relations and French Cultural Studies from Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She obtained her graduate degree in Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, concentrating on women and children's rights in Islamic Law and did her research on Child Marriage in Islamic Law. She has multiple certifications, in Legal studies, English as a Second Language and Human Resource Management and is most recently receiving training in Trauma Awareness and Resiliency. Her passion and calling continues to be working with Initiatives of Change and she is a member of the Board of Directors for IofC USA. She also enjoys facilitating Creators of Peace Circles when the opportunities arise. And most importantly she is a mother to two children

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Nahom is a 26 year old Ethiopian who's eyes light up for a good cup of coffee, gets a sense of security and comfort from fellow humans, always thrilled of being in a new place, never misses on the opportunity to impact more than one self and appreciate the intricate designs in nature and human creations. After being introduced to Initiatives of Change through the Caux interns program four years ago, Nahom has been involved in different capacities with IofC and non IofC projects driven by the same cause to bring and sustain lasting change for the good. Currently he works as a Creative Director for an advertising firm in Ethiopia and as a Regional Communications Coordinator for the World Peace Initiative Foundation.

Arnhem, Netherlands

Andries Jan was born in Willemstad, Noord Brabant and raised in Friesland, The Netherlands. Currently, he is studying Data Science. Andries Jan has been a part of Initiatives of Change since 2005, when he was part of the Caux Interns Programme, serving in the Dining Room. What draws him back to Caux nearly every year is his belief in the power of building social and political change from the bottm-up, as well as the opportunity to meet interesting and inspiring people. In the past, he has been involved with several Initiatives of Change projects, such as the Learning to be a Peacemaker program, which aimed to inspire young Muslims to become agents of peace. He has also worked as an intern in India helping to facilitate encounters between civil society leaders of India, Pakistan and Kashmir. After graduation, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Fragile States Department. In his spare time, you can find him playing squash, mountain biking, volunteering for the Green Party and drinking coffee.

Switzerland

Rebecca Jiménez, who has Swiss and Mexican roots, lives in Zurich, Switzerland. Till last year she studied English, Social Anthropology and Geography at the University of Zurich. Since then she was an intern at the national television of Switzerland (SRF) and worked as an assistant at the Swiss correspondence office for the German radio network ARD. In her spare time, she loves to travel and to read. Rebecca attended her first IofC-Conference in 2015 and was instantly fascinated by the open environment of CAUX and the people from all different walks of life that meet once a year at Caux palace. For her, CAUX is about connecting with like-minded people, networking and about creating an environment in which new things can be created through exchange and support. She strongly believes that fair, inclusive governance is an important corner stone for dealing with many other issues such as oppression, conflict, the upholding of human rights and environmental problems.

Rana Dahab | Community Group Officer

Egypt

Rana Dahab currently works as a clinical research associate in a regional research organization in Egypt while simultaneously doing an online Master’s program in public health. She is an ambitious pharmacist whose dream is to be part of changing the world and making it a better place. Rana first encountered Caux in 2013 where she had a mind and soul transformation that led her to commit to making the world a better place by trying to link her academic background with the values learned in Caux. She has previously worked as a clinical research specialist at the Children Cancer Hospital in Egypt, an enriching experiencing where she felt a direct impact of her work on the patients there. In attempts to make her dreams come true, she is overcoming challenging milestones and persevering.

Chicago, USA

Andree De Leon was born and raised in Illinois, USA. She is currently working at a digital marketing company in the heart of Chicago in finance and HR. Andree has obtained her BA in Psychology and minor in Kinesiology from University of Illinois at Chicago. She has volunteered and worked with NGO's and universities over the past nine years with medical & dental mission trips to China, the Philippines, Costa Rica and Ecuador. In her spare time, you can find her eating, traveling, playing tennis, biking, snowboarding, and attempting to learn new languages. This will be Andree's fourth time coming to Caux and working with the Communities group. Andree believes that working at the micro level is the key to a peaceful and sustainable government. She finds is truly inspiring to be in an atmosphere with people who share their knowledge and experience to better the world.

London, United Kingdom

Jonathan Dudding has been working internationally as a trainer and facilitator for over twenty years. Trained by the Institute of Cultural Affairs and specializing in their methods (now known as the Technology of Participation), Jonathan has worked extensively in Europe, Africa and the Middle East with governments, international, national and local organizations. In addition to facilitating large and small events and training others in facilitation, Jonathan also offers advice and support on how to incorporate participatory approaches into sectors where the value of participation is less recognized. Jonathan’s involvement with Caux started in 2011 to help with the design and to provide training and support to the facilitators of various Caux Conference. He is now a full member of the Caux Design Team. Jonathan has also worked with Initiatives of Change outside Caux, with ICA:UK working in partnership with Caux-IofC to run courses on Facilitation in Geneva.